Sleepy Hands

[neptunes son]

Hey all,
I am a boatbuilder and suffer a bit from Carpal tunnel from working with my hands all day. Often when paddling, my hands fall asleep. I have triied to change my grip often, loosen fingers between strokes etc. Anyone else suffer from this? It sucks!

[beachcomber]

I suffered from Carpal Tunnel also, mine was brought on by mountain biking and motorcycle riding. Mine got so bad I couldn't even use a hammer for more than 15 minutes. I opted to have surgery about 20 years ago and haven't had a problem since. I've logged over 100k miles motorcycle touring, done quite a few bicycle tours, sea kayaking, surf kayaking, and waveski surfing for the last 20 years and my CT has never come back.
If your CT is so bad that it's flairing up from SUP, you might want to see a hand specialist, and if surgery is recommended, don't be afraid to do it. The surgery is a lot less invasive than when I had it done and it will make a big difference.

[PonoBill]

I have CT and opted for non-surgical correction. Not everyone fares as well as Beachcomber has. I used the adhesive strips while sleeping  that are sold on the web. Seems like they wouldn't work, but they do. You will find them with a google search.  I think most folks with CT tend to curl their hands at night and put pressure on the nerve bundle. I shove my hands flat under the pillow to prevent this and it seems to work for me.

[beachcomber]

Good point Bill, any type of surgery is a gamble. In my case I had tried everything, even steroid injections, but my case was so severe that surgery was my only choice. Also my job (firefighter) didn't leave me many options, climbing a ladder with one hand and holding a K12 saw with the other, I couldn't afford to have a hand that went numb at the wrong time. I was fortunate that my surgery improved my CT.

I knew quite a few guys in the department that had shoulder surgery and actually had more problems after the surgery. This is why I put up with Rice Krispy shoulders days after a surf session. I know I need the surgery, but I'm just not ready to take the gamble.

With that being said, any surgery should be a last resort. See a doctor, and try other non surgical remedies first.